Student Assaults Law School Professor, Security Guard

Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad(BETAPHOTO/DRAGAN GOJIC)

A third-year student of the Belgrade Faculty of Law named Mihajlo Sekulic on June 2 assaulted and injured law of obligations professor Marija Karanikic Miric and a security guard, the Faculty confirmed for BETA.

According to eyewitnesses, Sekulic, who enrolled as a student in 2015, punched the professor in the head and struck the guard multiple times. Students who were present subdued the assailant and called the police, while the professor and guard were urgently taken to the Emergency Center.

The assault was preceded by bullying behavior by Sekulic, who came to the Faculty of Law building for teacher sign-off needed to certify the semester. 

The police took Sekulic into custody and he was detained. A student who attempted to separate Sekulic from the security guard was also injured in the course of the incident.

The students occupying the Faculty of Law said in a statement that "the student was inspired by the institution without jurisdiction [Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic] putting a target on the backs of the entire academic community with daily targeting." They also announced a protest for late on June 2 titled "No More Blood."

The administration of the University of Belgrade called the attack a direct consequence of illegal pressure and months of media campaigning against that University, asking everyone who made public statements "to cease aggressive rhetoric against the University of Belgrade, its employees and students immediately."

Serbian parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said it was not the regime's narrative that led to the attack, but the narrative of the student protests. Speaking at a news conference in the parliament, Brnabic blamed the media, too, accusing them of not reporting on attacks on students opposed to the student protests.